Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and ForestryThe Honourable John McVeigh

LNP fights to keep Qld pineapple and ginger farms disease free

Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister John McVeigh condemned the Federal Government’s decision to allow pineapple imports from Malaysia in Parliament today and vowed the Newman Government would do everything possible to reverse this crazy decision.“This is one of the worst decisions made by this anti-agriculture Labor government in Canberra and there have been a few shockers so far,” Mr McVeigh said.“I’m not sure if Mr Ludwig and his advisors have actually looked into this, but I am calling on them to reconsider the facts and make a different decision: one which will protect Queensland families and jobs.”Queensland has been Australia’s major pineapple producing state for the past 100 years with the industry worth $80 million annually – underpinning more than 1000 jobs on Queensland farms and through the supply chain during the peak seasonMr McVeigh said if Canberra’s decision was allowed to proceed, Queensland’s pineapple industry risked being decim ated by exotic diseases like bacterial heart rot and fruit collapse.“The Gillard Labor government risks wiping out a key regional industry in Queensland for the sake of its bureaucratic and process-driven open door trade policies,” he said.“This is about a lazy government and faceless bureaucrats making decisions that could wipe out our pineapple industry.”Mr McVeigh commended Queensland Senator Ron Boswell for referring the matter to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee in Federal Parliament yesterday.Mr McVeigh said he’d also be fighting Canberra’s proposal to allow fresh ginger imports from Fiji which risked further bacterial diseases along with contaminated soil.“I call on Federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig to start standing up for his fellow Queenslanders and fight in Federal Cabinet to put an end to this nonsense.”